iDeNtItY
by hopezen
Summary: McKeller - How far would McKay go to save his girl? An early interpretation of how the episode Identity should go. Heavy spoilers for Season 5.
1. Chapter 1

_This is my interpretation of how the episode Identity should go. It's McKeller of course. I apologize for it being so long, but I just couldn't, in good conscious, edit it back any more._

_Please enjoy and let me know what you think._

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or any part of MGM's Stargate or Stargate Atlantis franchise. _

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"What happened?" Woolsey asked with concern and a hint of anger.

"We…we don't know," no words escaped from Rodney's lips. He was in his own glass box as he imagined what was taking place in the exam room through the wall. John and Woolsey were talking, yet he only stood there, transfixed in his gaze.

"One of the village elders mentioned a woman who was ill. Keller offered to go and give her an examination. She had been out of radio contact for about two hours before we found her unconscious," John explained.

"Are there any clues to who or what caused this?" he looked at Rodney with concern.

"Most of the people were at the trade meeting. Apparently, they don't get too many visitors from out of town. We know she finished her examination and was returning to the town hall."

"You let her go alone?" Woolsey's words cut Rodney deep. Woolsey had always been a stickler on regulations, and though he had made exceptions in the past, allowing a team member to go off on their own in such a situation was inexcusable.

"The part of the village where the sick woman lives is sacred ground. Men aren't allowed in the area, and with Teyla as our chief negotiator, Keller offered to go by herself. Myra, the sick woman's daughter, took Keller to her mother. According to her, Keller treated her mother with what she had, but wanted to come back to get some more things."

"What about this?" Woolsey pointed to the round stone in the containment chamber.

"It was in Keller's hand when we found her. It was a gift from Myra's mother," John had faith that both women were without fault.

"Dr. McKay?" Woolsey noticed that he was still standing precisely in the same spot as when they arrived in the infirmary. Even under the circumstances, he expected Rodney's usual winded explanation.

"Rodney!" John yelled to get his attention. He was perplexed by his friend's behavior. Ever since they found Keller, he had been acting stranger then usual. Instead of panicking, he froze up. He moved slowly and he hardly spoke with a look of dread as John had never seen before. He knew Rodney had feelings for the doctor, all of Atlantis knew, but he was starting to wonder how deep those feelings were.

"Huh?" Rodney realized that he was still standing with John and Woolsey and that they were speaking to him.

"Are you alright, Doctor?" Woolsey observed his odd conduct as well.

"Fine," he went back looking to the wall as if studying a series of formulas on his chalkboard.

"Then what about the stone?" Woolsey shared a look of alarm with John.

"Oh," Rodney felt as if the thoughts in his were going to explode and he cupped his forehead to collect himself. "It is emitting faint energy signals, but it's nowhere near powerful enough to knock someone unconscious."

"Mr. Woolsey," John said slowly in case Rodney had anything else to add, "Teyla and Ronan should be returning in about ten minutes. They may have been able to find something by now."

"We can only hope," Woolsey was already on his way back to the control room. He wanted to know what happened to his medical officer.

"Rodney," John noticed he hadn't moved. "She's going to be alright," he touched his friend's shoulder. "Come on."

"No," Rodney stayed put.

"McKay!" John tried to snap him out of it.

"I'm not leaving," he never broke his gaze.

"Okay," John let loose of his grip giving Rodney a look of confusion before continuing on with Woolsey. He was now even more worried about his friend.


	2. Chapter 2

"Dr. Beckett?" Teyla spoke softly.

They were still conducting their investigation as effortless as it had become. There had been no sign of a struggle. Other then being unconscious, Jennifer was unharmed. And the entire village was cooperating and very concerned for the fallen doctor.

Then there was Rodney. John told her and Ronan of his earlier actions and it didn't take long to hear of him still refusing to leave the infirmary. In a way, she was more worried for him then Jennifer. He was never shy to speak his mind, yet there he sat in utter silence.

"Ah, Teyla, love," he looked up from his microscope.

"How is she doing?" she looked over to see her friend still in a deep sleep.

"Huh," he sighed. "No change. She is still unresponsive. Though I'm still concerned by her EEG."

"How so?" she had only heard bits and pieces of Jennifer's condition.

"It appears she is suffering from a degenerative psychological disorder, yet the results are only found in patients who suffer with such a disorder their whole lives."

"Do you believe the stone we found could have caused this?"

"It's possible. Radek is searching the database for both the stone and the energy signature it is emitting," he sincerely hoped that they would be able to learn what happened.

"And Rodney?" she folded her arms.

"I've tried to talk with him," Carson had never seen him in such a state, "but he's barely muttered more then ten words." _Perhaps it has finally become too much_. Carson remembered the conversation that he and John had before his first mission back.

"He did not leave our sight the entire time," Teyla thought back to the night before when they were all enjoying their hosts' hospitality.

"At the moment," Carson admitted, "all we can do is let him know we are here for him."

Teyla nodded her head in agreement, though it felt like defeat.


	3. Chapter 3

Rodney sat next to Jennifer's bed with his hands folded in front of his mouth. He felt like he was stuck out of phase to the rest of reality. Everything around him moved fast and slow at the same time. Worries and memories were coming and going yet he couldn't focus on a single one.

_I should have gone with her_, came one thought. _What good would it have done? You couldn't have gone into that part of the village_, came another.

_Why couldn't I have given the book back to her? It was her grandmother's_. _It's sitting on the table in my quarters_. _Why can't I get it back to her?_

_This never would have happened if Carson hadn't taken back his position_. _Yes it would_. _If not this time, the next_. _She was so damned stubborn_.

The one thing he could focus on was Jennifer. Her hair, her face, the contours of her neck, the rise and fall of her chest, the movement of her eyes, especially the movement of her eyes. Searching for any sign of her stirring was all he could do to prevent from going crazy.

They had been in the infirmary for 6½ hours. 2,340 minutes. 140,400 seconds.

On second 140,401, Jennifer's eyes started fluttering. Rodney waited a mere moment to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

"Carson!" he yelled without looking away.

Carson moved as fast as he could unsure if he would have to administer to Rodney or Jennifer. Though, when he got there, Rodney made it clear with his modest grin that it was in deed Jennifer.

"Jennifer?" Carson sat on the bed, with Rodney standing over his shoulder, waiting for her to respond.

"Mhm," she squeezed her face adjusting for the light.

"Come on, Jennifer," Carson wished more then spoke.

"Hmn," she started to look around the infirmary and then to the men looking down on her. She was concentrating on their faces as if she didn't know them. "Where am I?" she flustered.

"You're in the infirmary," Carson told her. "Do you remember what happened to you?"

"No," she said as if she should have. "Who are you?"

"You don't recognize us?" Carson had a sheet of anguish fall over him. He was completely unprepared for the memory loss, but he kept a strong face.

"No," she went back and forth to each of their faces again and again.

"It's okay," Carson assured her. "Do you remember who you are?"

"No."

The last of Rodney's hope seemed to be slipping away along with the grin he held only minutes ago. He couldn't stand her answering 'no' to every single one of Carson's questions, and so he walked out of the infirmary, where he had just spent the last seven hours, unnoticed.


	4. Chapter 4

As he walked to his quarters, in his trance, the city seemed much more empty. He was still wearing the dirty clothes from when they went to the quiet little village. So, covered in dirt, he made it through general quarters and ignored all that tried to greet him.

"McKay," Ronan was standing in his way. "You okay?" he had been trying to get his attention.

"Great," Rodney said plainly still keeping his eyes down.

"How is she?"

"She's awake."

"Good," Ronan grinned.

"Yeah," Rodney tilted his head. He was pleased about that, but the prognosis…the prognosis was bleak.

"So what are you doing here?" Ronan wasn't expecting the cynical brainiac to let Jennifer out of his sight.

"I'm going to get some sleep," he moved past the large man who gave the little scientist an odd look.

He was able to make it to his room without another incident. As usual, the moon shone in his window and there was no need to turn on the lights. He sat on the corner of his bed and struggled to understand why this happened and to why he hadn't stayed as a few tears began to run down his cheeks.

First it was Collins. He hadn't known the man all that well, but his greed let to his death. Somehow, in his mind, getting it to work would have gotten him off the hook for Collins' death.

The second was Carson. His best friend was killed by an exploding tumor. It took him a long time to come to terms with his death; he still felt a tinge of guilt whenever someone would mention it.

The third was Elizabeth. Killed by the Replicators in a fight she was entirely against. Again he felt responsible. He wasn't able to get the shield up in time. He reactivated the nanites. He suggested going to the Replicator home world. He wanted to reset their base code. Every decision he made that day, took Elizabeth closer and closer to her fate.

If Jennifer ended up as number four, he wasn't sure what he would do. She was one of his closest friends, his family. And he loved her as he had never loved another.

Long ago, he thought he loved Katie Brown. And in a way he did, but not like Jennifer. With Katie, he was settling for someone who could accept him and who he could accept. Jennifer was different. She was the one.

When he was with Jennifer, he was the best version of himself. When he had been discharged after the parasite in his brain, he went to thank her for everything she did for him and to apologize for everyone else criticizing her for doing what she felt was right. That was the night of their first kiss and a start to something Rodney never thought he would have.

Thinking about that time made him feel foolish. She had been his constant companion while he was sick. He could only recall bits and pieces of those few weeks, but he did remember always feeling at ease whenever he heard her voice or felt her touch.

And there he was. Hiding. She was down in the infirmary scared and alone and he was hiding in his quarters.

_TBC..._


	5. Chapter 5

After a long, sleepless, emotional night, Rodney showered, changed, and promised to be there every waking moment for her. He rustled up a couple of flowers and tied a ribbon around her grandmother's book. He made his way to the infirmary full dedicated to do whatever it took to help Jennifer.

"Rodney," Carson quickly noticed him enter the empty infirmary.

"Hey," he greeted. "Where's Jennifer?" he saw her bed empty.

"Her EEG has returned to normal output, so I saw no reason to keep her."

"Do you think this is permanent?" Rodney asked quietly hoping for one specific answer.

"I dunno," he confessed. "Until we are certain what happened…we are just going to have to wait and see."

"Hmm," Rodney nodded disappointed at his answer.

"Are those fer her?" Carson eyed the flowers and wrapped book.

"Yes," he had almost forgotten he was holding them.

"Rodney," Carson went on, "It is not your fault. There was nothing you could have done."

"I know," Rodney agreed. He kept going over the scenarios in his head and they all left him at that same conclusion though he still felt the sting of the guilt.

"I know ya care fer her," he touched his friend's shoulder remembering the conversation where he got him to admit his crush. "We all do. We all wan' to see her through this."

"I love her, Carson," Rodney met his best friend's blank gaze. "And," a twinge of a smile appeared on his softened face, "she loves me," he looked down again. "This isn't what was supposed to happen," all the plans they had made together seemed to be slipping through his fingers.

"I'm sorry, Rodney," Carson sighed at the confession. He knew Rodney didn't show his affections easily, but whenever he talked about Jennifer there was something different in his smile. "If there's anything…"

"Thank you, Carson," Rodney was still processing his thoughts. "Do you happen to know where she went?"

"I think she went to her quarters."

"Yeah," Rodney nodded his head in thanks and walked out of the infirmary.

He tried not to think about her condition being permanent. He wasn't sure what he would do if it were. So he focused on putting one foot in front of the other as he made his way to her room.

"Jennifer," he smiled when she came to the door.

"Rodney?" she pointed to him.

"Right," his smile grew when he saw her bright face.

"I have a lot of images of you," she motioned back into her room, which was covered with clothes, journals, books, and photographs. "And my journals have a lot about you too."

"I would hope so," he hopes fell a bit as he eyed the demolished room that was usually so tidy. "We spend a lot of time together," he wondered if they would continue to do so. "In fact, that's why I brought you these," he handed her his gifts. "Those are some of your favorite flowers from here in the Pegasus galaxy and your grandmother's book."

"Thank you," she looked at them with a kind suspicion. "That's very sweet of you," she tossed them onto her unmade bed.

"Um," he gritted his teeth. "Let me put those in some water for you," he found a vase in the mess and filled it with water.

"I'm sorry," she felt as if she had done something wrong. "I'm still not…"

"Oh, no, no, no," he waved his hands. "I can only imagine how hard this is on you," he took her hands and sat her on the corner of the bed. "It's scary for me too, but I'm going to be here every step of the way. If you need anything or have any questions, let me know. I'm your guy," he started to feel better when she grinned at him.

"That's…comforting," she finally found the appropriate word. "You are exactly the man I imagined you would be," she smiled sharply. "But I have to be honest, even now, I don't remember. I don't feel anything towards you," she became serious as she pulled her hands away.

"Jennifer…" his chest felt hard. It wasn't just her words; the wonderful and familiar sweetness was gone from her eyes and he was realizing that he might never get her back.

"You said you would do anything, and, right now, I would appreciate if you kept your distance," she said in a tone he had never heard before.

"But…" he could barely get the one word out and now there were no more. He was in shock and he was spiraling down with his despair.

"Please, Rodney, don't make this harder then it already is," she stood, gesturing for him to leave.

Unable to speak with eyes wide open, he slowly nodded his head and backed away toward the door. His trembling hand touched the door controls, but instead of finding an escape route Teyla stood blocking his way.

"Rodney?" she saw the pain in his eyes before he pushed past her. "Is everything alright?" she asked Jennifer who had come to stand beside her.

"I'm not sure," she looked confused and troubled. "He brought me some flowers and got upset," she watched him after he was gone.

"I'm sure he will be fine. Give him some time," Teyla rested her hand on Jennifer's shoulder.

_To Be Continued…_


	6. Chapter 6

I'm doing my best to get this story done before the episode airs, but somehow work and stuff keeps getting in the way.

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"Radek says he's been doing every odd job he can possibly find," John had been doing his best to keep tabs on the disheartened astrophysicist.

"He's just keeping his mind off of it?" Ronan spoke the consensus of the entire table in the empty mess. He wished he had work to do as well.

"When I saw him at Dr. Keller's quarters, his face was pale and hollow. Yet it held more sincerity then I have ever seen in him. Perhaps he truly does care for her more then we believe," too many times she caught him sharing silent moments with Jennifer, whom she knew for a fact cared for him.

"I don't know," John had thought long and hard about this whole thing. Ever since he saw the despair in his eyes as he watched Keller be taken to the infirmary, he thought of the Rodney McKay from 25 years in the future. He had the same look of despair as he spoke of what happened when he lost his Jennifer. "I don't even think he ever admitted to loving Katie Brown," John pointed out trying not to think too hard on what could have been.

"I think you're right," Carson agreed though the thought had never occurred to him until John brought it up.

"It's not the same," Ronan said in his usual stern voice. "When we got back from M33-985," they all gave him a look to continue, "he needed to know my intentions."

"Intentions?" by the looks on John and Carson's faces, Teyla seemed to be the only one that didn't understand.

"He challenged me," Ronan had been very impressed. "Not to a fight," he clarified. "He declared his intentions and stood up to me," he had been so impressed he decided to keep it to himself. "He does care for her."

"Wait a minute," John lifted his lip. "I thought you said she was interested in someone else?"

"So?" Ronan gave his inquisitive friend a look for him to drop the subject.

"Whatever his feelings toward Dr. Keller," Teyla rolled her eyes at the typical male behavior, "he has not been acting himself."

"It's to be expected," Carson had promised to keep Rodney's feelings for Jennifer a secret, "but he's been acting more withdrawn then I would have imagined."

"There is something wrong," Teyla agreed. "He has done all he can to avoid Jennifer, and she is anxious whenever he does come near her," they looked at her with uninspired eyes

"I'll talk to him," John was planning on giving Rodney a couple of more days to sulk before confronting him, but now he figured the sooner the better.


	7. Chapter 7

Rodney was hiding out in a downed Jumper. It was closer to people then he wanted to be, but it needed attending to more then the other jobs on the outskirts of the city. After his brief discussion with Carson, he was not in the mood to explain his actions. Working on fixable problems on the farthest edges of the city is what he needed to do to keep his sanity.

He thought he was going to go out of his mind with past, present, and future events, yet the same thoughts had played out over and over and over again all day.

_It has to be that damn stone_._ There's nothing else to explain what happened. Days of running the same tests Zelenka had. Nothing_._ No energy signature. No residual radiation. No subspace field. Nothing. There has to be something I'm overlooking._

He had run every test imaginable on the stone and he was starting to run into a slum of ideas. While he fiddled with the insides of the Jumper, he tried to come up with other scans and tests he could possibly run.

"Rodney?" a soft voice snuck up behind him.

"Jen…Dr. Keller," he turned taking a couple of steps further into the Jumper.

"I was wondering if you had a moment," she looked at him with those strange eyes again.

"Uh," he felt so stiff as he put the computer down, "sure."

"I want to apologize," she moved closer to him. "I made a mistake. You probably know me better then anyone else in the city," she smiled warmly. "I shouldn't have pushed you away like I did. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," he smiled politely. He was so confused. She had been so serious that day in her quarters, and now she was taking it back as if nothing happened. Not that he wasn't grateful for the chance to spend time with her again, but something wasn't adding up.

"Good," she kept walking deeper into the Jumper. "So…" she said in the mists of silence, "what are you doing?" she rolled her shoulders.

"Um," he collected his thoughts, "the drive pod's been giving us some trouble the last few times we've taken it out," she was hanging on his every word. "I'm running an analysis on the crystals to see if any of them are burned out."

"But it still works?" she chimed with a huge grin.

"Uh-hu," something was very much not right.

"Can we go somewhere?" she lowered her chin and shook her head.

"Maybe we should go to the infirmary," he touched her arm.

"I was thinking it would be nice if we could leave Atlantis," she ran her hand over his chest.

"I really think it would be a good idea to go see Carson," he was trying to exit the Jumper.

"Please, Rodney," she whispered before trapping him in a kiss.

At first, it was wonderful, to have her lips on his again. Then it occurred to him that this was wrong. Very wrong. His eyes opened wide and he did everything he could to push her away.

"Who are you?"

"What do you mean?" she breathed a chuckle.

"You're not Jennifer are you," he could feel his anger rising.

"Of course I am," she went on the defensive, yet she was still batting her eyes.

"No," he said forcefully.

"You're not going to let this go, are you?" she sashayed closer to him again.

"Where is Jennifer?" he said sharply watching her closely.

"I don't know," she smirked. "When I woke up, I was in this body in the city of the Ancestors. I couldn't of dreamed of a better place to end up," she pulled a berretta from under her shirt. "But," she took glee in seeing his lips twitch, "now I think it's time to leave. And as I understand it, I need someone like you to fly me where I'd like to go."

"I'm not taking you anywhere!" Rodney yelled.

He could feel the heat in his face just before he grabbed for the gun. She was surprised that he did it, but held her grip. Both of his hands were holding onto the barrel and he did not see her free fist coming at him. The blow to his face made him loose his footing, but didn't let go. He pulled her down with him and got the gun over her head. She finally lost her grip on the gun, which slid under the pilot's seat in the cockpit.

"How does the stone work?" Rodney shook as he held her down.

"Help!" she screamed.

"How!?!"

"Please!" she screamed again.

"McKay!" Rodney was restrained and being lifted up from his back. "What the Hell are you doing?!" John held him against the wall of the Jumper.

"Ask her!" the red faced McKay spat towards Jennifer who sat with her knees up to her chest and wide eyes.

"McKay," John said again. He wanted an explanation; he wanted one that would make sense of what he saw but he didn't expect to get one. "What is going on?" he tried to calm down.

"The gun!?!" Rodney shouted. There was so much adrenaline running through him that he thought he might burst. "Where's the gun?" he couldn't see it.

"What gun?" John looked to make sure Jennifer was alright. He had never seen Rodney this irate before and he was extremely worried especially at the thought of him having a firearm. He was relieved to see that Keller had remained where she was and unharmed. She hadn't moved since he tore Rodney off her and she looked as stunned as he felt.

"It's the stone!" he glared at the woman stuck in his love's body. "I don't know how or what it did, but she's not Jennifer!"

"Doc, why don't you go down to the infirmary and let Dr. Beckett know McKay and I are right behind you," he met her eyes for an understanding that he wasn't going to let Rodney hurt her.

"Yes, Colonel," she stood and slowly left the jumper staying as far away from Rodney as she could.

"You can't let her go!" Rodney moved his anger toward John but was ignored.

"What has gotten into you?" John yelled freeing Rodney after he was sure Keller was gone. "First, you won't leave her side. Then, you avoid her. And, now you're attacking her?"

"She attacked me first!" Rodney retorted. He needed to fix this, to find Jennifer, not stand here arguing. "She wanted me to take her to another planet. You need to put a security detail on her, and I need to figure out how that stone works," he started out of the Jumper.

"I don't think so," John grabbed his arm. "I'm taking you to see Beckett."

"You have to believe me, John!"

"Rodney," John held tightly confused by his friend's sincerity and madness, "how am I supposed to believe anything you're saying? You're acting crazy."

"You're right," Rodney looked down with swiveling as his brain turned. "You are right," he said again quietly. "I am acting crazy," his voice rose as he came to a conclusion.

"Rodney?" John was very growing more and more concerned that Rodney may have finally snapped. "Woolsey," he touched his radio when he got no response from Rodney who was slightly twitching deep in thought, "I'm in the Jumper bay…"

"I'm sorry," was all John heard before the blow to the head.

Rodney hit him hard enough to take him to the floor of the Jumper. The last thing he saw before the Jumper door shutting was Rodney taking his radio and sealing him in.

"McKay!!!" he hit the Jumper door. He couldn't believe Rodney punched him, in the face no less.

He kept beating on the door. He tried the console, but he knew Rodney would be able to lock him out. Woolsey knew where he was and would send someone, but pounding on the door made him feel a little better even though his hand burned in pain.


	8. Chapter 8

Rodney hated what he did, but he didn't see any other way of getting to the stone. He was going to pay for it both from John and the regret of getting a cheap shot off on one of the best friends he ever had.

But he needed to help Jennifer. If John wouldn't listen, neither would Woolsey. He was on his own.

He ran to his lab as fast as he could. He didn't care what anyone in the hall thought of him, as long as they didn't stand in his way. When he got there, he sealed it shut knowing it wouldn't be long before they had John out of the Jumper and were on their way.

_What am I missing?_ He inspected his and Radek's research. _It has to be something simple. Think McKay! Think! You have to make this right!_

And then everything went dark.


	9. Chapter 9

"All you have to do," the tall graying magistrate stood in front of his prisoner, "is give the Alliance the name of whomever is orchestrating all the thefts."

"I can't tell you what I don't know," the desperate woman held tightly to her cell. She was sick of this back and forth, but she refused to give up.

"They are going to execute you," he couldn't understand why she was being so difficult. She had never been this evasive in the past.

"Magistrate Avidan, contact Atlantis. They are part of the Alliance. They can prove I'm telling the truth," she pleaded.

"Stop this foolishness, Neeva!" he barked in frustration.

"I'm not Neeva!" she was so tired. She didn't know how much more of this she could take. "I told you, my name is Dr. Jennifer Keller. I'm a doctor from Atlantis."

"Magically trapped in Neeva's body by this," he picked the stone up off the table. He saw the grief settle in her face again. He was surprised by her conviction; he feared he was starting to believe her story.

"Yes. I don't know how, but it did," she was trying so hard not to cry.

The magistrate looked at the face of the woman he knew so long ago. It had been so long since he had seen her, he didn't recognize her. Yet those eyes begging him to believe were not hers. The Neeva he knew would never make up such a story to try to gain her freedom; she had enough dignity not to make a fool out of herself.

He didn't know what to do. His people had just joined the Alliance, and making enemies with them would not bode well. But he could not in good conscious give this woman up to be made as an example. He held the stone in his fist thinking of what he could do to make this right.

"Avidan," Jennifer watched him collapse to the floor. From the beginning of this nightmare, he was the only one who listened to her story. "Help!" she screamed.


	10. Chapter 10

_I'm getting there! I swear! Let me know what you think. _

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She was able to reach his hand through the bars and checked his pulse. He wasn't in any kind of distress and his breathing seemed normal. She continued to yell for help, but no one came. When she realized there was nothing she could do, she settled back in the corner of her cell and let everything she was feeling come out.

She was dirty, exhausted, and scared out of her wits. She had been alone this whole time fighting for her life, and now the only person who was remotely capable of helping her was lying unconscious on the ground.

It wasn't long before her exhaustion caught up with her and she drifted asleep, but it didn't last long.

_Now what? _she wondered in complete terror. The trembling was too much so she hugged her knees to her chest and she stared at the unconscious man with wide wide eyes. She wanted nothing else but to sleep, but that fear settling in her stomach refused her.

She thought of her dad and what he would do if something happened to her. Her mother's death had been so hard on him already and without her he had nobody to look after him. This had weighed heavily on her since coming to Atlantis. And even though he had no idea what she was doing, he had always assured her that there were people who needed her more then him. Yet, at the moment, that gave her little comfort.

And what about Rodney? He said a number of times he wouldn't know what to do if he lost her. She knew the pains he carried for the loss of his friends, and feared what would happen to him. John had told them all the story of what happened to Rodney in the alternate timeline. He wasted his life on a long-shot theory to try to save his teammates. While she was touched by his loyalty and compassion toward John, Teyla, and Ronan, she wondered what things he missed out on trying to bring them back. Had he been so obsessed that he missed out on being with her?

"Ow," Avidan interrupted her thoughts as he moaned. He lay there for a moment, rolled to his back, and then slowly sat up. "What the…" he looked around the room.

"Magistrate?" Jennifer didn't move from her corner, but she was concerned by his movements.

"Oh, no," he touched the beard on his face. He was so distracted by his realization of what happened that he didn't even notice he wasn't alone. "Way to go, McKay!" he said in furious frustration as he looked around again.

_I am in someone else's body! That stupid stone! It transferred me into this body! That's how that woman was in Jennifer's body. How am I going to help her now!?!_

"McKay?" Jennifer immediately perked up. His whole demeanor had changed. Even his stance and facial expressions weren't what they were before he fell. She didn't dare hope it was him, but there was something very familiar in the nervous motions of his hands.

"Who are you?" Rodney's thoughts stopped in mid air as he stepped back; he hadn't noticed her before she spoke with the unfamiliar voice and was intimidated by the iron bars.

"How do you know that name?" she was reluctant to tell him.

"How do _you_ know that name?" he asked defensively.

"Rodney?" she pressed herself against the bars.

"Jennifer?" he looked into her eyes, and he was amazed to see that familiar spark of hope in a face he had never seen before. "Jennifer," he put his hands over hers and touched his head to hers through the bars.

It was a relief to the lovers to be able to touch one another again, but very strange. With both of them in different bodies, their touch and voices were as different as their faces. Even though they both knew they were still in great danger, they felt safe. As long as they were together, they were going to be all right.


End file.
